


Oaths of the Lost

by AmpersandQueen



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Fairytale/Myth meshup au, Multi, POV Multiple
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-24 05:36:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18162083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmpersandQueen/pseuds/AmpersandQueen
Summary: All actions have consequences and if you make a promise you are intended to keep it. Whether you believe in witches, demons, or curses is up to your discretion; but perhaps it may be for the better to think before you speak. There is no telling where your words may take you, or who may be on the other side of the red string of fate.





	Oaths of the Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Ophilia and Lianna find a bird and a peculiar man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This began as an au I talked about with Treekianthia and I kind of took the concept and ran. The concept is that the octopath characters have all been assigned various fairytales and myths to them (some have more than one but every pair has at least one fairytale and one myth). While pairings will have set stories specific to them they will sometimes overlap. The stories are not direct retellings of the stories they're based on, but rather loosely based. If anyone wants to take a crack at guessing what fairytales and myths belong to what characters it'd make me happy to see what everyone comes up with. Also a tip going in there will be some additions of headcanons or changes in lore that Tree and I discuss such as Aelfric being female in this and not male, so please keep that in mind. I will try to point out any other changes as we go along.

Two girls toddled up a hill, gently carrying a bird in their hands. Two girls, one of gold and one of honey, wept as they marched forward with only the occasional sob to break the silence. Reaching the summit of their climb the girls knew that they must depart from the bird cradled in the golden child’s arms. As pure and white as the snow until the red blossomed across its breast.  


They had found the unfortunate creature earlier that morning. After being freed from their daily chores the girls had expected to spend the rest of the day playing, free from cleaning and studying. Their plans came to abrupt halt when they came across a bird lying in the snow. Despite their attempts to rouse the poor creature the bird would not stir. Fearing the worst the girls took the bird inside to the only man they believed could save the poor bird.  


“Father! Father please come quickly!” cried the honeyed girl.  


“ Lianna, Ophilia, patience my dear girls. What ails you?”  


“Anna and I found Mr. Birdie lying in the snow, but he won’t wake up. You can wake him up can’t you your Holiness?”  


Creases appeared across the man’s face as he looked at the bird’s broken body. The blood spread across its breast implied to the man that no matter of prodding would ever wake the bird from its slumber. The man then smiled gently towards his daughters.  


“My girls, Mr. Bird will not be waking up sadly. He has seen his last day.” The girls gasped, “No! Father can’t you do something? Surely you can! There is no one who can perform miracles like you can!”  


“I believe Our Lady Aelfric would disagree with that, but thank you my girls. However, I am afraid all we can do for Mr. Bird now is to bury him and give him a proper grave. Won’t you help me, Lianna, Ophilia?”  


However, before the small family could being their burial the man, Josef, had found himself being called away. Left to their own devices the girls decided to bury the unfortunate bird at their secret spot; a hill out looking the church, in hopes that Mr. Bird would learn to fly once again in his next life. They began to dig a hole that would become Mr. Bird’s new home.  


“Poor children, what causes you to cry such bitter tears?” The girls turned around to find a man they had never seen before at their secret spot. The girl with hair like gold, Ophilia, wondered how this man knew about their special hilltop.  


The strange man was dressed in clothes she had never seen before. He wore a long, dark coat that reached past his knees. Feathers branched out from his collar, the cuffs of his sleeves, and from the pads on his shoulders. Around his neck hung beads the color of pitch with an amulet dangling from the strand of beads. Ophilia had never seen the symbol inscribed on his amulet, but its elegance gave an air of importance. Lianna began to speak and Ophilia revealed the dead bird cradled in her arms, like she was making an offering.  


“Mr. Birdie won’t wake up. Father says we have to bury him.” Lianna’s words were somber and hung in the air, yet the mysterious man became cheerful and smiled.  


“Is that all? If that’s the problem I could make Mr. Birdie fly again, it’d be easy.”  


“You can?!” The girls gasped, it never occurred to them that there was anyone as capable of creating miracles as their father, besides Lady Aelfric that was.  


“Of course, it’s a simple affair really. However, I’m afraid no task can be free, if you want Mr. Birdie to fly again I’ll need something in return.” The girls looked at each other, what could the nice man possibly want? Immediately the girls began to rummage through their coat pockets. The girls offered their findings to the nice man, some linen, some spare change Father Josef had given them, and tissues. They did not believe anything they had would suffice for the nice man’s offer, yet it was all the had to give. Despite their meager offerings the man smiled once again.  


“Oh dear girls, I thank you for your offerings, but it is unnecessary. No, what I ask of you is simply a favor, that is all.”  


“A favor?” Ophilia asked.  


“Yes, a favor. It is not so urgent that you must do anything right away, however if you promise me that you’ll do something for me in the future I will make Mr. Birdie fly again.”  


“Of course! Anything you need!” The girls could hardly contain their excitement. It appeared as if there was no need for a burial after all. However, the girls were unable to imagine what they could do for the nice man that he couldn’t.  


“All you girls have to do is promise me something. One day I will come back here, and when that day comes, I will need to borrow something from you.”  


“Of course!” Lianna exclaimed, “But what do you need to borrow?”  


“Oh it’s nothing you need to worry about right now, but it is very important that I have it.  
Do we have a deal?”

 

For many years Ophilia has dreamt of the same dark, cold place. A frightening place with a long cascade of stairs leading to the maw of something vile. Sometimes when she dreams she can see them, a man and a woman. The woman she had never seen before, but the man, something about him stirred in Ophilia’s memory. Even though Ophilia walks the catacombs of this haunted place nightly the poor girl could never remember enough of her dreams upon waking, just odd fragments that she could not help but feel were important.  


It was on one of these mornings when an unfortunate tragedy occurred to sweet Ophilia and her sister Lianna. Lianna had gone out earlier than usual that day. She was out on the town running errands for her father. Father Josef had a dutiful pair of girls. Despite being a bright age of twenty the girls were ever ready to help around the church and around town; taking tasks with patience and perseverance, no task was too small or unimportant that they could not help. And so people began to talk about Josef and his perfect daughters, one made of gold and one of honey. So close one might have thought they were twins. So when people saw Lianna heading towards the cliff overlooking the church that morning alone no one thought anything of it. They could not have realized the poor girl was never to come down.  


Lianna normally spent her time in town either to run errands for the church, or to help her father guide the people, but not that day. That day she had gone to the provisioner to find some yarn to make scarves for her family. A simple gift, but a kind one. After viewing the provisioners many colors Lianna was on her way back when she remember her and Ophilia’s special place. Even though Ophilia was not with her on her secret errand, the early morning view was tempting. Without dwelling on her actions Lianna let her feet lead her up the snow covered path. And the view was beautiful. The light caught on the open snow and stained glass glowed a warm hue. At least, they did, until he came.  


A shadow had come crawling behind her she did not realize he was there until he was upon her.  


“I have come to collect what is due.” said the shadow, his voice like like ice, sharp and with bite. Lianna turned and recognized the figure immediately, for he was the kind man who had saved the bird in her and Ophilia’s childhood. Only now he did not seem so kind, not now that he had come to collect. His features were sharper than she remembered and his voice lost the softness it had once had. He grabbed one wrist.  


“What do you want? I’m afraid we don’t have much money.” He grabbed another wrist.  


“Money doesn’t interest me. I have come to collect and what I want is you.”  


“What?” She scarcely had time to think, it was a luxury he had not allowed her. He pulled her towards him and they began to fall, down the cliff, through the ground, through the entire world, until they had ended up someplace Lianna had only dreamed of before, someplace dark and cold. 

 

Ophilia woke to the the sounds of footsteps pounding on the ground like rain. Her dream had been particularly intense that night. The place she had gone was the darkest it had ever been; she could not even see the hand before her. The only thing visible was a large, obtrusive eye. Bulging and bloodshot the grotesque eye searched about until finally it had focused on her.  


Ophilia recoiled and stepped back, frightened. However, she could not step far before she something had blocked her escape route. She knew what it was. The man from her dream, the one in the dark, feathered robes. He put one hand on her shoulder, and the other hand ran through her hair. His touch was chilling even through his gloves. He whispered something in her ear. And then she woke.  


When Ophilia finally rose from her bed she was surprised to see Lianna’s bed empty, her sister had not woken her up like she normally did. She wandered down the hall to see clergymen running every which way until finally she found His Holiness, her father.  


“Your Holiness? What is going on?” The man was crumpled on the ground, hands in his face.  


“Ophilia! Oh thank Aelfric you’re safe! Where is Lianna? Surely you have seen her?”  


“No Your Holiness, I have just woken and Anna’s bed was empty. Your Holiness what is going on?” The man’s face sank in horror as Ophilia spoke.  


“Lianna, Lianna is gone. She had gone up to the cliff overlooking the church, the spot you girls are so fond of. Several townsfolk saw her go up. But she never came down. When we searched all we found was a bundle of yarn. The Knights Ardente did not see her leave town once. Wherever has she gone?”  


And immediately Ophilia remembered a bird and a very kind man. And she knew where Lianna was, someplace cold and someplace dark. She knew that the man had come to claim what he had been owed for so long. And she remembered what he had told her in that dark dream. Ophilia only said one thing in reaction to hearing the news of her sister’s disappearance.  


“Mattias.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far thank you so much! I’m not sure at what consistency I’ll be able to get this out, but I do have the second chapter in progress so hopefully it won’t be too long of a wait. Also as for the Olberic/Erhardt thing I do have a rough idea of what I’d want to do with them, but I’m not really sure how to approach them at this point. I’d love to include them, but not quite sure how yet. If they don’t get their own story proper they will at very least cameo in some others. I’m sorry big gay dads, I love you and want to do you justice. Again thank you for reading and for the interest in my silly ramblings.


End file.
